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Our Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist our patients to learn more about their health. Our providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein.

Topic Contents

Physical Abuse

Topic Overview

Violence can happen to anyone—males or females, children, teens, adults, older adults, or people with disabilities. You are not to blame. No matter what happened, violence is not okay. Violent people usually have many problems that they find hard to deal with, which can cause them to act out with violence.

Physical abuse includes hitting, pushing, shaking, slapping, kicking, pinching, choking, strangling, and burning. Physical abuse may come from a stranger, an acquaintance, or a close friend or family member. Many victims of abuse know their attacker.

Violent behavior can also hurt you emotionally. You may feel sad or frightened. Feelings of guilt may prevent you from getting help. But it is important for you to seek help and continue to get help for yourself as long as you need it. Talk to your local child or adult protective agency, the police, or a health professional, such as a doctor, nurse, or counselor. You can also call a local mental health clinic. Any of these people can help you deal with your feelings, get medical treatment if needed, and take steps to stop the abuser.

If you have been abused or assaulted, contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you have questions about how soon you should be seen, you can check your symptoms.

Is there someone who can safely take you to get emergency care right now?

Yes

Someone is available to help

No

Someone is available to help

Has someone in your family been hurt on purpose?

Yes

Physical abuse of family member

No

Physical abuse of family member

Are you worried about your physical or emotional safety or about the safety of someone else?

Yes

Concerned about safety of self or others

No

Concerned about safety of self or others

Do you have concerns about any other type of abuse?

Abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional. It also can include neglect.

Yes

Other concerns about abuse or neglect

No

Other concerns about abuse or neglect

Are you concerned about self-harm?

It can include acts like cutting, burning, or choking yourself on purpose, or pushing objects under your skin (like pieces of metal, glass, or wood). People doing these acts usually are not trying to kill themselves, but the results can still be dangerous.

Yes

Concerns about self-harm

No

Concerns about self-harm

Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:

Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.

Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.

Medicines you take. Certain medicines, herbal remedies, and supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.

Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.

Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

Try Home Treatment

You have answered all the questions. Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home.

Try home treatment to relieve the symptoms.

Call your doctor if symptoms get worse or you have any concerns (for example, if symptoms are not getting better as you would expect). You may need care sooner.

Sexual abuse is any type of sexual activity that is done against your will. It can be:

Nonviolent sexual abuse, such as unwanted touching or being forced to watch or look at sexual pictures.

Violent sexual assault, such as rape or forced oral sex.

If you have just been sexually abused or assaulted, try to preserve any evidence of the attack.

Do not change your clothes.

Do not bathe, shower, brush your teeth, or clean up in any way.

Do not eat or drink anything.

Do not smoke.

Write down everything you can remember about the assault and about the person who assaulted you.

Neglect is a form of abuse. It happens when caregivers do not protect the health and well-being of the person they are supposed to take care of.

Two common types of neglect are:

Child neglect. This happens when parents (or other caregivers) fail to provide a child with the food, shelter, schooling, clothing, medical care, or protection the child needs.

Elder neglect. This includes failing to provide an older person with food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and other basics. Neglect can include failing to pay nursing home or medical costs for the person if you have a legal responsibility to do so.

Seek Care Today

Based on your answers, you may need care soon. The problem probably will not get better without medical care.

Call your doctor today to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care.

If you cannot reach your doctor or you don't have one, seek care today.

Home Treatment

If you feel threatened, youmust have a plan for dealing with a threatening situation. If a family member or someone else has threatened to harm you or your child, seek help:

If you need immediate help, call 911.

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) or see the website at www.ndvh.org for free, confidential counseling and information about local community resources.

Tell someone: the police, a trusted friend, a spiritual adviser, or a health professional. If the incident occurred at work, contact your human resources department for help.

Find local resources that can help in a crisis. Your local police department, mental health clinic, or hospital has information on shelters and safe homes.

Be alert to warning signs, such as threats or drunkenness, so that you can avoid a dangerous situation. If you cannot predict when violence may occur, have an exit plan for use in an emergency.

If a child tells you that he or she has been abused, stay calm. Tell the child that you believe him or her and that you will do your best to keep him or her safe. Report the abuse to the local police or child protective services agency. For more information, see the topic Child Abuse and Neglect.

If you are no longer living with a violent person, contact the police to obtain a restraining order if your abuser continues to pursue you and act violently toward you.

If you know someone who may be a victim of violent behavior

Here are some things you can do to help a friend or family member.

Let your friend know you are willing to listen whenever she or he wants to talk. Don't confront your friend if she or he is not ready to talk. Encourage your friend to talk with her or his health professional, human resources manager, and supervisor to see what resources might be available.

Tell your friend that the abuse is not her or his fault and that no one deserves to be abused. Remind your friend that violence is against the law and that help is available. Be understanding if she or he is unable to leave. She or he knows the situation best and when it is safest to leave.

If your friend has children, gently point out that you are concerned that the violence is affecting them. Many people do not understand that their children are being harmed until someone else talks about this concern.

Encourage and help your friend develop a safety plan. This plan will help keep your friend and her or his children safe during a violent incident, when preparing to leave, and after leaving.

The most important step is to help your friend contact local domestic violence groups. There are programs across the country that provide options for safety, legal support and needed information and services. To find the nearest program:

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233), or see the website at www.ndvh.org.

Call the National Center for Victims of Crime at 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255), or see the website at www.ncvc.org.

The most dangerous time for your friend may be when she or he is leaving the abusive relationship, so any advice about leaving must be informed and practical.

Violence is learned behavior, so it is especially important to help your children learn that violence is not a healthy way to resolve conflict. Living in a violent environment increases your child's chances of developing behavior problems, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, poor school achievement, and lowered expectations for the future. People who are maltreated as children are more likely to abuse others. If you were ever abused, it is very important to get treatment so that you learn different ways to resolve conflict and use appropriate discipline.

Symptoms to watch for during home treatment

If violence occurs again, call your doctor to decide if and when you need to see your doctor or get other help.

Prevention

Prevent violence in your home.

Learn nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Arguing is fine, even healthy, as long as it does not turn violent. For more information on anger control, see the topic Anger, Hostility, and Violent Behavior.

Keep yourself safe from violence.

Be alert to warning signs, such as threats or drunkenness, so that you can avoid a dangerous situation. If you can't predict when violence may occur, have an exit plan for use in an emergency.

Prevent violence with guns and other weapons. Do not provide your children or teenagers with unsupervised access to guns or other dangerous weapons.

Do not keep loaded guns in your home.

If you must keep guns in your home, unload them and lock them up. Lock ammunition in a separate place.

Do not keep guns in a home where there is someone who has a drug or alcohol problem, is prone to violent behavior, or has threatened suicide.

Make sure that no one in your home will have access to guns or other weapons unless they know how to use them safely.

If you are no longer living with a violent person, contact the police to obtain a restraining order if your abuser continues to pursue you and act violently toward you.

Teach your children that violence is not a solution. Settle arguments without yelling or hitting. Do not use physical discipline, such as spanking, pinching, ear pulling, jabbing, shoving, choking, or strangling. If you need help controlling your children, consider taking a course in parenting skills.

Limit your child's exposure to TV, movies, and video games to no more than 1 to 2 hours per day.

Do you have any risk factors that increase your chance of becoming a victim of violent behavior?

Another resource for help is the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE, 1-800-799-7233) or see the website at www.ndvh.org for free, confidential counseling and information about local community resources.

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